AI Could Make Our Lives Better. So Why Are We Trying To Stop It?
Anthropic's CEO wants federal regulation that would slow down AI (and his competitors' innovations). Has that ever worked?
Technology
Restoring Childhood Says It's Not Smartphones Making Teens Miserable. It's School.
Computers, video games, and the internet actually helped "restore childhood" in the 1990s, suggests psychologist Peter Gray in a new book. Then changes to our education system reversed those gains.
AI Executives Want International Regulation. They Could Just Slow Down Themselves.
Dario Amodei is calling for coordinated international limits on AI development while Anthropic prepares to go public.
Should Data Centers Go Seasteading?
With their reputation figuratively underwater, data centers might be going literally underwater too.
AI Slowdown
Plus: Commercial surrogacy regulation, Russian weapons, a new drug in San Francisco, and more...
AI Doom Is Misguided, Not a Psyop
The pro-AI side must avoid succumbing to paranoia and bad faith.
Trump's Bribe, AI Doom Psyop, and the Rapture
Trump's $5,000 bribe, stay-at-home moms, car insurance beefs, AI doom, 9/11 memories, Zelda rumors, rom-coms, and the Rapture—Freed Up somehow fits it all into one episode.
Why Conservative Republicans Are Worried About License Plate Cameras
Recent comments by Greg Abbott and Ron DeSantis reflect a bipartisan backlash against warrantless surveillance.
DOJ Says Barring AI Training on Copyrighted Material Could 'Severely Hamper' Tech Progress
Training a model on copyrighted work is the same transformative use exception that protects The New York Times' journalism.
OpenAI Agents Gone Rogue
Plus: Mail-in ballots, mortgage rates reach new high, arcade.gov is a new low, and more...
This Wired Article About AI Detection Software Was Really Mean
Pangram founder Max Spero urged social media not to pile on too much though.
A New Bill Reflects the Bipartisan Backlash Against Flock-Enabled Mass Surveillance
Criticism from Trump allies and recent survey results show that resistance to widespread deployment of automated license plate readers spans the political spectrum.
Mamdani Bans the Robot Teachers
Plus: Times Square stabbing, free-range kids case, Gloria Steinem dies, and more...
Invasion of the Robot Teachers
New Mexico required kindergarten through second-grade students to learn literacy skills from a purple-haired AI avatar called Amira. Parents are pushing back.
Trump Loves Data Centers: 'Let Data Reign'
Robby Soave and Amber Duke discuss Trump’s recent comments on data centers, unpacking how his stance diverges from parts of his political base.
Foreign Regulators Are Trying To Censor Americans Online. A Bill Would Ensure Those Demands Are Unenforceable.
The proposed GRANITE Act looks to shield U.S. companies from foreign censorship orders.
What Craigslist and Backpage Can Tell Us About the Meta Settlement
It doesn't matter if you're right. If you don't cave, the government might stop at nothing to destroy you.
Anthropic Win Reaffirms Private Sector's Right To Put Conditions on Government Dealings
Trump administration officials didn’t try to hide that they were punishing the company for its views.
The Belated Backlash Against Flock Cameras
Americans are starting to recognize the dangers of pervasive surveillance by automated license plate readers.
The CIA Is Making AI-Generated Reports for Local Police
The CIA has been using artificial intelligence to write “open source intelligence” analyses, which are being distributed to local police via DHS “fusion centers,” according to documents obtained by Reason.
Judge Says Trump's Clampdown on Anthropic Violates the First Amendment
A judge ruled the Pentagon's supply chain risk designation of Anthropic was an unlawful, “arbitrary,” and “capricious” decision made to punish Anthropic.
A Tale of Two Tech Revolts
What the simultaneous revolts against Flock and data centers can tell us about the power and risks of populism
Video Games Are Not Making Men Miserable
Video games, pornography, and gambling: One of these things just doesn't belong!
Data Center Savior
Plus: AOC reaffirms her socialism, Russia-Ukraine war gets even deadlier, and more...
Study: Most Mealtime Screen Time Is TV, Not Social Media
What a new study of mealtime screen time does—and does not—say.
America Is Building a Surveillance State Like China's
"If there are Flock cameras in your city, they are tracking, logging and sharing your movements without a warrant," warns the ACLU.
Data Centers Are Doing Your Dirty Work for You
Their few defenders often misunderstand their benefits.
Border Agents Searched His Phone 5 Times Without a Warrant. He's Asking the Supreme Court To Put a Stop to It.
How many warrantless cellphone searches does it take to change border policy?
Open-Weight
Plus: "Blasphemous" talk in Texas, botox everywhere, ink on Mace, and more...
Government Regulations Are Keeping Drone Delivery Grounded
To fly a drone out of sight, you must get airline-level certification, which requires a lengthy approval process from the Federal Aviation Administration.
What if the Future Is Actually Good?
Jason Silva discusses the promise of AI, the psychedelic renaissance, and the case for embracing technological optimism.
AI Is Already Beating Human Doctors in Medical Tests
Robo-docs are not likely to take over healthcare anytime soon, but they could do more to assist human doctors—if we let them.
Democrats Want To Tax AI Companies for Job Losses That Haven't Happened
The proposed tax would rise with unemployment and fund a new federal jobs program—even though AI has yet to cause mass unemployment.
Scott Galloway's Bad Idea To Make Young Men Happier
Hint: It's mandatory national service.
Minnesota's Nudification Ban Could Punish People Over Parodies and Stripped-Down Selfies. Elon Musk's xAI Is Suing.
The law is written so broadly it could punish services that let you fake an image of yourself in a swimsuit.
Roanoke Removes Gunshot Detectors Months After Approving Them
Limited evidence of effectiveness combined with privacy concerns raises questions about the sensors.
FCC Bans Foreign-Made Robots, Including Roombas
The ban on new foreign-made robotic devices comes soon after regulators nearly killed Roomba maker, iRobot.
Police Mix Up Usernames, Man Spends 18 Months in Prison for Someone Else's Sex Crimes
"He should never have been charged, let alone convicted," judges now say.
Kansas Lawsuit: ALPRs Turn a License Plate Into the 'Functional Equivalent' of a 'GPS Tracking Device'
The Kansas Justice Institute argues that Wichita's "warrantless ALPR dragnet surveillance program" violates the state constitution's privacy protections.
The Real Cost of Turning Away Foreign Talent
Researchers estimate that discouraging just one-third of international STEM graduates could leave the American economy 0.7 percent to 1.3 percent smaller—equivalent to losing the entire economy of Utah or South Carolina.
'Class Divide' in Teen Social Media Habits Could Explain Differences Between Heavy and Light Users
A new survey finds most teens use social media moderately, though class divides persist.
No, Remote Work Is Not Making Us Miserable
The rise of remote work is a tech success story, despite what one new and very convoluted study claims.
Nashville Considers Using Eminent Domain To Stop a Planned Data Center From Irritating Zoo Animals
The Nashville Zoo says the vibrations from next door's planned data center might negatively affect hearing-sensitive animals.
E.U. Fines Google $1 Billion and Orders It To Give Competitors Equal Treatment
European regulators claim to promote innovation while extracting billions from the companies producing it.
Anthropic's $1.5 Billion Copyright Settlement Sets a Bad Precedent
The record settlement pushes AI companies away from a fair use fight they might have won.
Don't Blame AI for Your Own Medical Problems
A former pastor suing ChatGPT says the chatbot gave him life-threatening medical advice. But tech-enabled healthcare is not the problem.
